Focus On Europe

This series provides offers a fascinating mix of stories exploring the important political, economic and cultural developments in Europe. With the unity of the region under threat from the bankrupt economies of Greece, Portugal, and Spain, the global economy continues to feel Europe's pain, and EJ is there each week with reports and analysis from Berlin, Paris, and London. The program also views the crises in Europe through the eyes of those whose lives have been affected the most. Presenter Nina Haase provides her unique take on the week's stories, telling the story with compelling video, strong reporting, and a good sense of humor.

Repeat Broadcasts:

FRANCE/GERMANY: ALSACE - The Alsace region is defined by two of Europe's dominant cultures - the French and the Germans. But the ability to speak German is no longer taken for granted among the people of the region. Young people, especially those from big cities, only speak French. The once typical bilingualism in Alsace is a thing of the past. Since the early 1990s, thousands of jobs were lost in neighboring Germany and Switzerland, as well as in Alsace itself - especially jobs that required both languages. It's also a result of official French policy that once set the goal of driving the German language from the region. CROATIA: THE MONK ISLAND - Franciscan monks are the only inhabitants of the tiny Croatian island of Kosljun. They no longer see saving souls as their main task - instead they tend to their monastery and its gardens. St. Bernard of Siena wanted to renew the church in Europe in the spirit of Francis of Assisi and he relocated monks from city centers to the outskirts. The move was meant to strengthen the souls of the monks, who would then spread the values they had acquired in the peace of the monastery. But these days the Franciscan monks of Kosljun have abandoned their missionary zeal. CZECH REPUBLIC: CONTROVERSIAL PARDON - More than 7,000 prisoners in the Czech Republic are set for an early release thanks to a controversial pardon signed by outgoing president Vaclav Klaus shortly before the end of his term. Tens of thousands have protested the move. Nearly every third prisoner is expected to walk free, including inmates with less then a year to serve of their sentence and those over 70 years old. The overflowing prisons are likely to benefit most from the pardon. But many Czechs are outraged that so many criminals are escaping punishment for their misdeeds. ITALY: ROCK AGAINST THE MAFIA - "A67" sounds like the name of a German Autobahn - but it's currently Naples toughest weapon again the camorra. The young musicians of A67 are using their music to protest the mafia. They live in the city's Scampia neighborhood, considered one of the biggest open-air markets for illegal drugs in Europe. Half of the area's youth population is unemployed. Hardly anyone misses the politicians, who let the mafia take over in the 1970s. But that also created a sense of unity among the people of the neighborhood. Now the musicians hope that togetherness will help them in their risky protest.

Repeat Broadcasts:

CZECH REPUBLIC/GERMANY: THE CZECH REPUBLIC ON THE VERGE OF A BLACKOUT - European energy policy has become a highly-charged issue because the rapid expansion of green electricity in Germany is putting a strain on the power grid in neighboring countries. Twenty percent of the electricity in Germany is generated from sustainable resources. Much of this is generated by wind farms in northern Germany and consumed in the southern part of the country. On especially windy days, the flow of electricity is spilling across Germany's borders and straining the power grids in neighboring countries. Now the Czech Republic is saying it will install security switches to avoid potential overload and blackouts. FRANCE: CHURCHES INTO MOSQUES - The sale of church buildings has become commonplace in France - but a recent proposal to convert a church to a mosque has triggered a nationwide controversy. Church congregations in France are dwindling and the town of Vierzon is no exception. With a population of only 27, 000, Vierzon is home to six Roman Catholic churches. To balance its books, the local diocese decided to sell one of the churches. But tempers flared after a Moroccan Muslim organization said it wanted to buy the church and convert it to a mosque. AUSTRIA: A BILLIONAIRE TAKES A POLITICAL TURN - In Austria's upcoming parliamentary elections, a new political party that seeks an end to the euro and was founded by billionaire car boss Frank Stronach looks set to get around ten percent of the vote. It's a rags-to-riches story - when Frank Stronach emigrated to Canada in the 1950s, his first job was washing dishes and peeling potatoes in a hospital kitchen. Stronach went on to found Magna, one of the world's leading suppliers to the automotive industry. After returning to Austria some years ago, the auto parts magnate recently launched a new political party there. LONDON: SQUATTERS FALL ON HARD TIMES - With rents in London ever on the rise, many squatters have taken over unoccupied properties they say are being kept vacant only for purposes of speculation. One disused office building owned by British Telecom was known for housing a group of squatters who included local homeless, artists and activist groups. Among the uses of the occupied space were simple shelter, a gallery and a music studio. But shortly after new anti-squatting laws were passed in England and Wales, the Telecom squatters also found themselves in jeopardy.

Repeat Broadcasts:

KQED World: Sat, Jan 19, 2013 -- 7:00 AM

KQED World: Tue, Jan 15, 2013 -- 10:30 AM

Greece's Refugees Want to Go Home (Episode #3101)

KQED World: Tue, Jan 8, 2013 -- 4:30 AM

GREECE: REFUGEES WANT TO GO HOME - They came by the hundred thousands in hopes of a better life in Europe. Now they are beginning to return to their home countries -- with no money and little hope. Many refugees from Afghanistan, Iran, Morocco, and Nigeria risked their lives to cross the Mediterranean or the precarious Evros River to enter Greece. But the government there arrested thousands of them on charges of illegal immigration. Greece is one of the most important transit countries for refugees heading for other European Union countries. BRITAIN/FRANCE: THE SCALLOP WAR - British trawlers fish for scallops in international waters off the coast of France. French fishermen don't like it one bit. They say the catch is made in French waters and outside the official season, leading to overfishing. French trawlers have now resorted to drastic measures, surrounding the British ships and preventing them from sailing on. Scallops are one of the most popular kinds of seafood, and in France they are an important economic resource. PORTUGAL/SPAIN: SEEKING HELP FROM THE NEIGHBORS - Portugal's economic crisis is affecting its health care system. More and more of its citizens are heading for Spain to go to the doctor or to the hospital. To fulfill its austerity obligations, the government in Lisbon began cutting its health care budget - reducing the number of clinics as well as prescriptions for expensive medicines. In some communities, there is no longer around-the-clock care. Many people are now taking advantage of the free emergency treatment available in Spain. The Spanish government ultimately charges Portugal for these services. CZECH REPUBLIC: CZECH FOR RUSSIANS - Historically, relations between the Czechs and Russia have usually been troubled. But a young Russian wants to help his countrymen put down roots in Prague. Igor Rubinovich belongs to a new generation of Russians who are turning their backs on the oligarch-dominated economy and lack of political transparency back home. They want to build their future elsewhere, and thousands of them now live in Prague. Igor has developed a kind of expat Facebook for them; "Klub Pragmatiki" is now helping Russians in Prague to network offline as well.

TV Technical Issues

TV Technical Issues

(DT25-1 through 25-3) Another station on Fremont Tower needs to perform more maintenance work overnight, requiring other TV
stations to shut down their signals for the safety of the workers. KQET’s signal will turn off late Thurs/early Friday
between midnight and 12:30am, and should return by 6am Friday morning. Many receivers will be able to […]

(DT25-1 through 25-3) Another station on Fremont Tower needs to perform maintenance work overnight, requiring that other TV
stations shut down their signals for the safety of the workers. KQET’s signal will turn off late Tues/early Wednesday
between midnight and 12:30am, and should return by 5am Wednesday morning. Many receivers will be able to recover […]

(DT54.1 through DT54.5) Our Over the Air signals from our KQEH transmitter on Monument Peak (the DT54s) will need to be switched
from our Main antenna to our Auxillary antenna while climbers inspect the tower for possible maintenance needs. Once the inspection
is done, we will switch back. The two switches will account for two […]